There has been wonderful news this week about patients who have heart attacks.

Between 2002 and 2010, the number of patients dying from heart attacks has been halved.

Heart specialists told us this was due to public health improvements, for example, not smoking, diet, use of special drugs in general practice.

Also rapid admission of patients to hospitals has been vital (the research shows that members of public who feel chest pain should contact hospitals not stay at home thinking, it might be indigestion). Treatment of patients in hospital with new techniques has also been highly successful (such as angioplasty) and the treatment of the Duke of Edinburgh was no different to what many other 90-year-olds commonly receive.

Very few countries have such effective services as we have. In view of these and other successes, would it be wise if our MPs vote for radical changes in the NHS?

The advice of British doctors (including the great majority of GPs) nurses, physios, health visitors and many other professional staff is that the current Bill in Parliament should be dropped. Their views were supported this week by the House of Commons Select Committee on Health, chairman Stephen Dorrell, Tory and former Health Minister. Over to MPs Hopkins, Davies, Julian Smith and Jones — massive responsibility is now on your shoulders.

You were NOT elected to impose “top-down reforms”.

The promise was “we will cut the deficit not the NHS” when you were elected.

Bob Holland

Skipton Road, Cononley